HERE ARE 7 TOP FINTECH TRENDS 2018 YOU’VE PROBABLY MISSED

May 14, 2018 4min

Many of us look at the Fintech sector as the beacon of global innovation; as the technology that’s re-imagining the capital markets.

In 2017, we saw investments in Fintech rise to $12.85 billion. We heard buzzwords like artificial intelligence and blockchain all around the financial sphere. We witnessed technological advancements and the appearance of regulatory guidelines. We understood that consumers crave on-demand finance and are more willing to manage their money online, running away from mind-boggling bureaucracy, long queues and occasionally glacial pace of different financial services. So far so good, but what are the biggest Fintech trends 2018?

While we still feel the presence of Fintech trends in 2017, 2018 adds a little extra.

1) More Interest in Artificial Intelligence

As 2018 unfolds, the act of leveraging advanced cognitive AI solutions to decrease costs and overheads will become more popular. Investment in AI will be crucial for Fintech companies that want to gain a competitive edge over their rivals.

As far as top Fintech trends 2018 go, Artificial Intelligence will be at the center stage of fraud detection, customer analytics, and anti-money laundering solutions. However, how productive AI will be in those spheres remains to be seen.

2) FinTech Growing in Asia

By 2020, FinTech industry in APAC will amount to $72 billion. Such exponential growth is attributed to the increased development of digital and cashless payments by SMBs in the region.

What’s more, Asian consumers seem to be increasingly aware of various P2P payment solutions and crowdfunding methods with Blockchain at their core, which is likely to cause growth both in personal and business financing segments.

We can expect many innovative Fintech players around the world to learn from Fintech’s successes in APAC and take it to the next level in their regions, with adaptations to the local culture. That was precisely the case for Turkish Akbank. Akbank wanted to significantly boost its banking app’ growth and attract more high-intent users. That’s where our mobile app promotion experts stepped in, and it did not take long to see phenomenal results.

3) Regulatory Diversity

More regulators are actively looking to identify new ways in which they can become part of the Blockchain revolution. Regulatory guidelines, also known as regulatory sandboxes, are gaining popularity – and it’s starting to spread on Uncle Sam’s turf. In March this year, Arizona became the first U.S. state to introduce a regulatory sandbox for Fintech.

With that, regulators are still taking more of a “Bystander approach,” giving Fintech innovators more freedom to act. The challenge of finding the golden middle between innovation, risks, and controls is still out there.

If cards are played right, the growing number of regulatory bodies will lead the Fintech industry towards becoming more powerful and secure, boosting consumer confidence which in turn will further solidify and increase Fintech’s popularity – so it’s a win-win situation.

4) Top FinTech Trends 2018 Chart Includes Mobile

Fintech is already being driven by mobile: people seem to keep Fintech mobile apps among their favorites, and there’s a reason for that. Our experts were right: the simplicity and convenience of Fintech mobile apps act as a magnet for consumers and are shaping the industry to become more customer-centric.

Mobile seems to dominate the important trends in the Fintech space this year as well. Lending Times mentions that 2019 will be the year when mobile banking and payments will rise to $92 billion.

5) More Financial Startups, Solutions & ICOs

Fintech is still on everybody’s mind. Big-shot corporations and globally recognized startups are utilizing the reality to pour money into newly emerging, young Fintech companies, many of which prefer Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) as their funding channel rather than going for traditional forms of funding.

Existing companies are also taking aggressive action when it comes to figuring out how to make the most of Fintech within their ecosystems. In a sense, many of them have become venture capitalists and are pushing their intracompany Fintech projects.

6) It’s All About the Money – but What Kind?

Not to say that paper money is to lose its power this year, but digital currencies – think Bitcoin – are getting more attention. A new Bitcoin ATM opened in Las Vegas in February 2018, which is the next step towards making digital currency widely acceptable. It will be interesting to see where the wind will take digital currencies and whether new competitors will appear on the horizon.

7) Blockchain Getting Stronger

The growing market interest and value of Blockchain seem to get us closer to the day when Blockchain receives the recognition it deserves.

Global Fintech survey results show that by 2020 77% of global companies in the financial sector plan to take Blockchain into live production. Before you know it, Blockchain will be taken to new fields to become the solution to much more complicated challenges.

Major credit card companies like Mastercard are continuing their work on developing and perfecting Blockchain-based payment systems. There’s also talk about Blockchain penetrating debt syndication, mortgage processing, and trade finance.

So, there it is! Your list of the biggest FinTech trends 2018 to go to when you feel like you need to take a step forward in the FinTech game. Sometimes it may require more than staying on top of FinTech trends, though; it also calls for advanced, AI-based technology; vast industry knowledge and experience.

If you need assistance promoting your FinTech mobile apps or you want to get your brand in front of the eyes of high-intent users, we can help. Contact us for details!